1

---

MR. RYDER Reference: Your minute of 16 Ma John Pilger's piece was disgraceful. It was drawn to our attention immediately by BIS New York. Efforts are being made through BIS New York to get influential people to write to the New York Times repudiating it. I have seen one published so far. In addition, I am raising the whole issue of Pilger writing such ludicrous stuff with Johnny Apple, the New York Times' Chief Correspondent in London. Personally, I think anybody who gives Pilger space is potentially lending themselves to a campaign and I am astounded that the New York Times has fallen for it. That will be the gist of my message to Mr. Apple. Paymaster General is also involved in this exercise.

V B. INGHAM 20

May,

1980

The

• MR INGHAM

This article is now old hat, and I hoPe that I am hardened enough to take the sort of criticism offered by John Pilger. But I wonder, in view of the still large numbers of people employed at BIS and indeed in our Embassy in Washington, whether anyone arranged for a letter to be written to the New York Times repudiating the rather extraordinary conclusions of Mr Pilger, one of which was a thin implication, alleging the Prime Minister's views had somethinu in common with Nazism. This view becomes apparent in Mr Pilger's last paragraph.

410

Richard Ryder 16th May 1980

•

RESTRICTED

Foreign and Commonwealth

Office

London SW1A 2AH Telephone 01-

Your reference

S Wright Esq BIS New York

Our reference Date

12

May

PGN/301/8 1980

THE PILGER ARTICLE 1. Andrew Alexander of the Daily Mail has declined to alter his article to a letter. As a result it has been decided that we should take the following action: Bernard Ingham, Chief Press Officer at No 10, will write to the New York Times London correspondent to register HMG's displeasure that while giving publicity to Pilger's tendentious piece, they have not given the right of reply other than in letter form. You in BIS New York should get suitably important or influential businessmen (or others) to write to the New York Times expressing their displeasure. It would be better if their letters were published, but even if they are not something will be achieved. May I leave you to follow this one up? 2. We are always pleased to receive the copies of article3about Britain from the American press which you send us. While we may not make direct use of most of them, they are still worth having and I would like you to keep up the service.

M G Dougal Overseas Information Department cc R Prescott (Mr Maude4

sq Office)

N Gaffif Esq No 19 wning Street

RESTRICTED

• 10 DOWNING STREET From the Press Secretary

MR. PRESCOTT Many thanks for your letter of May 7 on the New York Times. I gather that Neville in discussion with you has suggested that a number of additional letters should be organised. I certainly agree with that. I am, however, pretty furious with BIS New York. It is acutely embarrassing to organise a journalist to write an article for the New York Times only to discover, when it has been written, that the New York Times has a positive and exclusive policy against replies on its COo-alpage. I feel like telling them that this has caused us embarrassment. In the meantime, I think I shall take issue with Johnny Apple, their resident correspondent in London, making known our extreme concern that they should give Pilger space and deny other more objective contributors the csame opportunity.

h1LA/ B. INGHAM 9 May,

1980

•:_r\6x, r\t7._ , PRIVY WHITEHALL,

COUNCIL LONDON

OFFICE SWIA 2AT

(

7 May 1980 Bernard Ingham Esq Press Secretary 10 Downing Street SW1

'

1\

)

NEW YORK TIMES: PILGER ARTICLE

•

I conveyed the gist of our conversation last Friday to Heather Harrison in the Overseas Department of She subsequently telephoned BIS New York the FCO. and made your point of view known in no uncertain terms. The response from BIS New York is given in the attached telegram. This is not in the least helpful from our point of view, the only good point being that someone has already responded in the letters page in the New York Times - copy telegram also attached. Do you think we can take this matter further, bearing I do not think Andrew Alexander in mind the delay? would welcome having to do a rewrite, and the letters column hardly carries the same weight as the Op-Ed page. 7

c R E S PRESCOTT Private Secretary

• YFO/1 6/05

CIE C .AtYIVi,s1:i

CO F CO OR

gli

19VA

UNCLASSIFIED FROt,, BIS

NEWYGRK W515r7.

TC, MEDIATE T;A.F6RAM

FuLLOONG

MAY 60

F C C

NUMBER INIAP

26 OF 5 MAY

FOR ALLAN OID.

NvkwYORK- T1MLS:

PILGER

ARTICLE.

ARTICLF .1 HAVE URGED MR ALIXANDER'S HLOr, LEAVIN'GHER IN NO DOUBT AS TO TH 1.

ON THf. FDITOR ;TLfcTH

OF THE Or-Lo

OP FEELhi;_,

tr ICL:i[c

uiA. f JOHN P1LGCR'S PIECE, BUT THE PAPER'S RULITr; tK,OLUTFIY rr-4-ct o. 1"!!' TI L!:lAt r'hiNTINGREF4'TTALSON THE OP-F5 Pt(iE 1111:f LrITI:T6 ^. GIVEN THIS, I HAVE ALSO TISCUS3FD WITH 1111TO A PFTTTAL COIDEPATION WILLING TO GIVE FAVOU'RAiftF '1OLLO1-,E MUCH 11. W7I1 W3P111?, P1AS LETTER FORV FROM MR ALEXANDER, wHICH COULD ThAr I HAVF ASWPFD •1W1 'AA'n),

410

MIN

(PRESENT rAxIminv

ARTICLE

1.Vr

c0( FUCH LFTTFR WOULD BE EXCLUSIVE TO THF, 1, IF MR ALEXANDER WILL REDRAFT I";Lirnift

PIFJ! TilrX Tr". r,1117;TI IN'fl!-T:', v 1.,TO ',VOIrl TrPS EDITOR EMPHASISES THAT Ei1.71) Ii LI"( Tru-Orr ALPFDY Pm' PRINTrIP (°:FRFAITTAL FROM LONF,ON ItAJP

.NYFCO 005/0? 00 FCC,

Neto5

CR 470 uNcLAS3I rIED P4 BIS NEW YORK 0215107 TO ImYLDIATE FCC)

MAY 8o

TELEGRAM iUrsiBER INDEp P5 OF P mAY mY TELEGRAM NvBER

24 OF 30 APRIL.

NEW YORWTImES' OF ? mAY PUBLISHES A LETTER TO THE EDITOR FROM DOUGLAS CRITCHLEY,

LONDON, TEXT FOLLOWS. ,

BEGINS, JOHN PILGER'S APRIL 18 OP-ED ARTICLE ON c,,ARGARETTHATCHER IS RUBBISH, EVEN IF HE HAD !-;AD HIS FACTS SIGHT, HIS EMOTIVE LANGUAGE WOULD STILL HAVE CREATED AN uTTERLY FALSE PICTURE, mi? PILGER SAyS„ "IN 1977-78 LESS THAN DOLLARS 8,8 MILLION ILLEGALLY CLAIMED IN SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS,"

WAS

IT WOULDHAVE

BEEN TRuER TO SAY THAT ILLEGAL CLAWS MR mORE THAN DOLLARS 6.7 HILLION WERL uNcOvErED, moo( woRC SHCH CLAWS can BE PRE. SumED TO HAVE GONE UNDETECTED, THE ARTICLE WAS FuLL oF SUCH NSTORTIONS, In REFERRING TO THE MOR 1ALITY RATE FOR MINERS,1R PILGER DOES NOT mENTION THAT, BECAuSE THE INDUSTRY IS CONTRACTING, THE AvERAGE AGE IS HIGH, THIS

1$ IN

NO WAy THE FAHLT OF mRS THATCHER. IT IS TRUE THAT BRITISH HOSPITALS ARE SHORT OF mONEY, WHEREARE THEY NOT? MRS THATCHER IS CUTTING GOVERNmENTEXPENDITURE BELOW THAT • PLANNED BY THE PREVIOUS LABOR GOVER,WENT BECAUSE THAT EXPENDITURE COULD ONLY HAVE BEEN HET BY A STRONG EXPANSION OF THE MONEY SupFLY, AND INFLATION WAS ALREADY RISING, MPS THATCHER'S INTENTION IS TO CET THAT INFLATION DOWN, mANy BRITONS THINK THAT HER POLICIES THAN THOSE OF "THE

ARE MORE' LIKELY TO SUCCEED

SESPECTED CAmBRICGE ECONOMIC POLICY REVIEw

GROUP," wHICH HAVE ALREADY BEEN TRIED AND FAILED, AS DID TED. HEATH'S ATTEmPT TO "RUN FOR GROWTH" EY INFLATING,' WHETHEROR NOT H-to

•

.T •

atezt-n—

HER POLICIES SUCCEED IN CREATING GROWTH, SHE HAS TO PERSIST WITH THEm-TOP TkiE TIME BEING TO REVERSE THE INFLATIONARY SPIRAL. CHANGE.IS NEVER POPULAR, AND MRS THATCHER'S POLICIES HAVE NOT ALWAYS BEEN AS SENSIBLY IMPLEMENTEE AS SHE WOULD HAVE WISHED, IT IS TO BE HOPED THAT SHE WILL NOW EE AS VIGOROUS AT THE EXECUTIVE LEVEL AS SHE HAS BEEN AT THE POLICY LEVEL. SURELY IT IS UNFAIR TO CRITICIS FOR NOT HAVING CURED ALL OF A NATION'S AILING ECONOMY A LONE MON IN NINE MONTHS OF AUTHORITY. TO CRITICIZE HER IN A FOREIGN NEWSPAPER, WHOSE READERS ARE LESS LIKELY TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE DISTORTIONS OF THE TRUTH, IS COWARDLY. ENDS HALL

NNNN

• C.Ak 44"1 ;lis."1 --A. emi tolovi°

10 DOWNING

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RESTRICTED

GR 300 RESTRICTED FP-BIS

NEW YORK 182129Z

TO PRIORITY

APR 80

FCO

TELEGRAM NUmBER 9 OF 18 APRIL INFO PRIORITY

WASHINGTON

FOLLOWING FOR NEWS DEPARTMENT PILGER 1.

ARTICLE

MIFT

IN NEw YORK TIMES.

(NOT REFEATED To

PAGE OF TODAY'S

MIRROR.

ATTACK ON THE SOCIAL UNQUOTE,

IN

PILGER'S

PARALLEL

IN

BRITAIN'S

2.

IS

TExT

OF ARTICLE

BY JOHN PILGER,

CN Op-ED

DESCRIBED

AS A IS AN EXTREME AND IMPASSIONED AND ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF QUOTE THATCHERISm VtE QUOTE A POLITICAL INIQUITY WITHOUT

wR1TER FOR THE DAILY

-

WASHINGTON)

NEW yORK TIMES

IT

POST-WAR HISTORY uNQuOTE.

A POSSIBLE

COUNTER WOULD BE TO REBUT ANY FACTUAL ERRORS IN PILBUT THAT mEANS FIGHTING ON GROUND OF P1LGER'S . _ CHOOSING AND, EvEN IF ERRORS Exl ST, CORRECTED Fl GuRES m I GHT NOT BE IMPRESSIVE, AND WOULD LEAVE RILGER'S GENERAL THRUST UNCHALLENGED. A BETTER APPROACH IN my VIEW WOULD BE TO INVITE A CONSERVATIVE GER'S

STATISTICS,

JOURNALIST,

OR A CONSERVATIVE

ING THE ECONOMIC

IMPERATIVES

mp,

TO ARGUE THE CONTRARY VIEW

OF QUOTE THATCHERISN

DEFEND-

UNQUOTE WHILE

REBUTTING

CHARGES OF SoCIAL CALLOUSNESS. THIS WOULD BE A MORE EFFECTIVE COUNTER THAN A NECESSARILY BALANCED OFFICIAL RESPONSE, AND wOULD BE mORE ATTRACTIVE JOURNALISM. AN 800-WoRD ARTICLE 'XULD BE IDEAL.

3,

As FIRST

AUTHOR.

STEP GRATEFUL

TO KNOW IF

YOUR AGREE,

WE WOULD THEN SEEK THE PAPER'S

ON THE Op-ED_PAGE. A SHORTER VERSION

IF

NOT FORTHCCmING,

AS A LETTER

Rr-c-qm!r--i-rr)

AN

TO PUBLI SH-

WE WOULD RECOmmEND SENDING

TO THE EDITOR.

HALL F ILES NEN-LS

AND CAN FIND

pRIOR-AGREEmENT,

GPS1300 UNCLASSI Fl ED APR 80

NEW YORK 182130Z

FROM BIS

F C 0

TO PRIORITY

10 OF 18 APRIL

TELEGRAM NLNBER

FOLLOWING FOR NEWS DEPARTMENT

1.

IS TEXT

FOLLOWING

IN NEW YORK TIMES

ARTICLE

PILGER

P T:

M I

OF ARTICLE.

BEGINS DURING LONDON - WE HAVE ENTERED A DARK PERIOD IN BRITAIN, ARE WHICH mANY OF THE PRECIOUS GAINS OF OUR MODERN CIVILIZATION OF HUmAN TRAGEDY THAT ARE THE DIRECT

STORIES

EARING

BOTH MADE REDUNDANT FROm THEIR

ImPOVERI SHED PARENTS,

MOST CELEBRATED

NOW COmmON. SURGEONS AT ONE OF BRITAINS'S HOSPITALS,

FATIENTS

ARE BEGINNING

SAID

MEANS,"

THE FABRIC

INDUSTRIES

INIQUITyA;WITHOuT

PARALLEL

I

TARTY OR GROUP AND THAT

POLITIC

I

DELky

IN THE UNITED SOCIALISm

ENTERPRI SE EXCLAM THATCHER,

wERE THAT

PROPORTIONATELY OUR "WELFARE

BELONG TO No POLITICAL

THAT THE POLITICAL

TOOK ROOT IN OuR BODY

DURING THE TIME TwO VINTAGE

BRITAIN

THATCHER

LABOUR

OF

MYTHS CHERISHED

WAS BECOMING A PIT

wOULD BRING

OF

BACK ROBUST FREE

wHAT ARRANT NONSENSE EXCLAm EVEN BEFORE MRS.

I RELAND,

ONLY

I

YEARS OF HAROLD WILSON'S

ADMINISTRATION.

STATES

THAT

SHARE THE BELIEF

UNCHECKED,

AND THAT MRS.

TO A POLITICAL

POSTWAR HISTORY.

IN BRITAIN'S

DURING THE DELUSIONARY

GOVERNMENT AND SPREAD, JAMES CALLAGHAN'S

IN mY VIEW,

AS THATCHERISm

NOW IDENTIFIED

HAS ENTERED OUR

AND TO THE PROSPECTS OF BRITAIN'S

AMOUNTS,

SHOULD SAY WITHOUT-FURTHER

INFECTION

DIE."

wHAT- THATCHERI Sm HAS DONE TO

Sm. "

SOCIETY

OF BRITISH

AND WHO WILL

A NEw "ISm"

"THATCHERI

WEALTH-PRODUCING

LIVE

MARGARET THATCHER CAME TO POWER AS

IN THAT TImE,

EVERYDAY LANGUAGE:

IT

"WHAT

THAT DUE TO A STARVATION

"IS

A CANCER SPECIALIST,

PRIME MINISTER.

OUT OF DESPERATION,

OF wORLD WAR I.

HOSPITALS

NEARLY A YEAR SINCE

IS

IT

USED,

TO THAT

FIELD

wE MUST NOW CHOOSE WHO WILL

OF FuNDS.

BECAUSE

SuCH AS HEART pACEmAKERS.

EQUIPMENT

THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY ARE NOW OPERATING

SYSTEM SIMILAR

IN THE OVERFLOWING

LONDON, ANNOUNCE THAT THE I R

PERHAPS IN THE HUNDREDS,

TO,DIE,

THE mOST BASIC

DOCTORS AT HOSPITALS A TRIAGE

'COLLEGE. IN

KING'S

TEACHING

IS

SUCH SUFFERING

COULD NOT AFFORD TO PAY THE BILLS.

THEY ARE DENIED

IN

BOARD CUT OFF THE- POWER IN THEIR

THE STATE ELECTRICITY HOME. THEIR

DIE

BECAUSE THEY HAD TO USE CANDLES AFTER

WAS STARTED

THAT

THREE CHILDREN

OF SuNDERLAND,

IN THE NORTHERN CITY

,OBS,

RESULT

DECISIONS.

OF POLITICAL A FIRE

PRESS CARRIES

ALMOST EVERY DAY NOW, THE BRITHIS

BEING VANDALIZED.

AMONG OUR EUROPEAN PARTNERS,

LESS ON SOCI AL SERVICES

STATE "

THAN BRITAIN.

WAS ALWAYS PART DREAM,

SPENT INDEED,

PART FRA I L REALIT/. •

/tOuR

OUR RICH qcH

vERE ALLOwED

OF mesT

OF THE Pont

TO GPOw PROPORTIONATELY

OTHER.wESTERN ATION

NATIONS,

OwNS 61

SO THAT TODAY A MERE TENTH

PERCENT OF THE NATIONAL

THOSE VI SI TORS FROM THE uN I TED STATES BY THE LOW LEVEL TO LIVE. 1972,

THE COAL MINERS ‘kORKFORCE REmAIND

OF THEIR

CLASS,

HOLDING

REASONABLY PRICED

OF OuR PEOPLE TRY

wERE FORCED TO STRIKE DOCILE

THE POVERTY LINE

WITHIN wITH

IN

THE CONFINES

ACCESS TO

FOOD AND CLOTHING

AND LOW RENTS. SADLY, AND LACK OF GREED AMONG ORDINARY

THE TOLERANCE AND GENTLENESS BRITONS

wEALTH.

WHO I NOUI PE ARE SHOCKED

OF WAGES ON WHICH MILLIONS

UP UNTIL

BRITAIN'S

RICHER THAN THE

MADE THEM TOO EASY TO EXPLOIT.

THATCHERISm,

AS REPRESENTED

GREW up MOSTLY

COLLEGE AND THAT ANy cABINET IN HIS

BY A CABINET

IN THE RIDtCULOUS

BOASTS mORE INHERITED

SINCE

1e22,

WHOSE LEADING

TOp HATS AND TAILS

MEMBERS

OF ETON

PERSONAL WEALTH THAN

IS NOW DELIVERING

THE COUP DE GRACE.

RECENT BUDGET,THE

CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER,

SIR

GEOFFREY HOWE, CuT TRAINING

PROGRAMS FOR THE uNEmpLOYED,

SLUM—

CLEARANCE PROGRAmS AND FuNDS TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND SAFETY BRITISH WORKING CONDITIONS ALREADY ARE AMONG

OF PEOPLE AT wORK. THE DIRTIEST,DAmpEST HELPS TO EXPLAIN

AND UNHEALTHIEST

TOOL OPERATORS,

UNLIKE LEAST

TO 1,650

"mODERATE"

IN THEORY,

AT

MINCESS

1E7,020, HAS

BRITA IN:

1.1

THE THATCHERITES

BECAUSE,

WILL

ENSURE THE

TO ONE OF THE WORLD'S

OUT OF THE PUBLIC MILLION.

PRINCESS

PERCENT,

EXPLAINS

HAVE LAUNCHED AN I S TO CONVINCE

LNEMPLOYED ARE DEFRAUDING

PURSE, ANNE'S

BUCKINGHAM

UNTAXED

PRESENT.

PALACE,

THE NATION SECURITY

THE UNLOVED

COUNTRy ESTATE AT THE SAmE TIME,

"ANTI-ScROUNGE11"

THE SOCIAL

A TAX—

TO APPROXIMATELY

ON THE MAGNI FICENT

GAVE HER As A wEDDING

THE OBJECT OF WHICH

CAMPAIGN

ROYALTY.

I S TO GO UP 30

"OVERSPENT"

THAT THE tUEEEN

ON WHICH THE POOREST CHILDREN

AND MEASURES THAT

HE GAVE,

OF DOLLARS

PERSONAL ALLOWANCE DOLLARS

"NECESSARY"

AND AMOUNT TO A FRONTAL ASSAULT GEOgFREY PUBLICLY SHORED UP THE

SIR IN

FAMILIES,

FREE INCREASE

ON THE EDGES

OF TEACHERS,

OF PRI VI LEGE

wEALTHIEST

OF LIFE

ANNOUNCED PETTY

OF SCHOOL MILK,

Cri STATE EDUCATION, ApEx

THE QUALITY

HAVING

OFTEN DEPEND FOR NUTRITION, WHOLESALE SACKING

THE THATCHERI TES ARE ABDONDONING WORLD wAR II HAS AIMED, AT

SINCE

IMPROVING

SOCIETY.

IN THE PRICE

PER 10o,000.

TORIES,

—PARTY CONSENSUS THAT

OF OUR INDUSTRIAL RISES

wHICH

RATE FOR mINERS, MACHINE— ° LABORERS AND OTHER WORKING PEOPLE

BUILDING

RANGES FROM ABOUT 900 AN ALL

IN EUROPE,

WHY THE MORTALITY

CAMPA I GN,

THAT mANy OF THE SYSTEM.

THE

ITSELF

I S FRAUDULENT. IN 1977-78, LESS THAN DOLLARS 8.8 MILLION WAS ILLEGALLY CLAIMED IN SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS, COMPARED WITH AppoxImATELY DOLLARS 748 MILLION IN LEGAL BENEFITS THAT ARE NOT CLA I MED EVERY THE MONETA RI ST ECONOMIC THE SI MPLI ST I C OBSERVATIONS 'BELIEF

IN AN

"UN FA I R"

YEAR. POLI CIES

OF THATCHERI Sm ARE BASED ON 0 = PROF. MI LTON FRIEDMAN WHOSE

o•ORLD I S EMBRACED, BY MRS.

TI-ATCHER.

1

50

_ NAVE HELPED 'TO DOUBLE INFLATION IN ONE YEAR, TO ANNUAL RATE OF 19.1 PERCENT, AND HAVE RETRENCHED MUCH OF OUR INDUSTRY TO THE POINT WHERE , IN THE vIEW OF THE RESPECTED CAMBRIDGE ECONOMIC POLICY REVIEW GROUP, muCH OF BRITAIN COULD BE AN INDUSTRIAL WASTELAND BY 1984. FREE ENTERPRISE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ITi WITH CASH RIGIDLY CONTROLLED AND DEMAND FORCIBLY DEPRESSED, HUNDREDS OF SmALL ENTERP RISING BUSINESSES ARE GOING BANKRUPT, WILE MAJOR BANKS ANNOUNCE RECORD CASH SO FAR,

THESE POLICIES

.

PROFITS

OF MORE THAN DOLLARS 2.2 BILLION. IS, NO LONGER POVERTY IN BRITAIN, " DECLARES SIR KEITH JOSEPH,SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDUSTRY. OF COURSE, HE AND HIS COLLEAGUES mAY WELL BELIEVE THIS, FOR THEY RESIDE IN "ANOTHER NATION" - IN FACT, MORE THAN 14 MILLION BRITONS, A QUARTER OF OUR pOpULATION,NOW LIVE.IN OR CLOSE TO ACTUAL POVERTY. A SOLUTION TO THIS POVERTY, NOT A BRUTAL IZING OF THE POOR, . REMAINS THE KEY TO THE RENAISSANCE OF 0,UR NATION, MANY AMERICANS ADMIRE THE WAy THE BRITISH PEOPLE SUCCESSFULLY STOOD ALONE AGAINST THE NAZIS. THIS WAS ACHIEVED IN GREAT PART BECALS EMERGENCY MEASURES OF EQUALITY wERE THRUST UPON-OUR CLASS-RIDDEN SDCIETY AND THE NATIONAL BURDEN wAS SHARED MORE THAN EVER "THERE

BEFORE.

NO CHILD

NO HAN OR VNAN

wENT TO SLEEP HUNGRY, WAS DECLARED OBSELETE,

AS THOUSANDS DO NOW, AS MILLIONS

MORALE AND INCENTIVE, DECENCY AND COURAGE 4,VN THAT wOULD WIN AGAIN, GI VEN THE CHANCE, ENDS

HALL

F NEA-JS

t•_

•

ARE NOW. DAY.

AND THEY